A Massachusetts State Police officer who photographed the final moments before the capture of Dzhokar Tsarnaev is so incensed that Rolling Stone magazine chose to “glamorize” the Boston bomber on its cover that he’s released a batch of never-before-seen pictures showing the moments before Tsarnaev was captured.
The magazine’s cover, often reserved for celebrities, rock stars and high-profile influencers, elicited widespread outrage this week after its unveiling.
(Photo courtesy Rolling Stone)
Several major retailers have already announced plans to keep the Tsarnaev issue of Rolling Stone off their shelves, including CVS and Walgreen’s.
But Sgt. Sean Murphy wanted to swing back much harder, breaking protocol and risking his job to share his thoughts and incredible photos with the press.
“As a professional law-enforcement officer of 25 years, I believe that the image that was portrayed by Rolling Stone magazine was an insult to any person who has every worn a uniform of any color or any police organization or military branch,” Murphy explained to Boston Magazine Thursday.
“What Rolling Stone did was wrong. This guy is evil. This is the real Boston bomber,” he said.
In addition to being a liaison to the families of fallen officers, Murphy was present to photograph the night Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was discovered hiding under a boat cover after leading police on a wild chase throughout the Boston area.
Murphy’s photographs show the bloodied bomber carefully emerging from the boat as a police sniper trains a laser on his forehead.
(Photo courtesy Sean Murphy/Mass. State Police)
“I hope that the people who see these images will know that this was real,” Murphy said. “It was as real as it gets.”
(Photo courtesy Sean Murphy/Mass. State Police)
Murphy has been at least temporarily relieved of his duties for leaking the photos. CBS News reports that his “duty status will be determined at a hearing next week.”